This is a cowboy:

Possibly one of the last, true, American cowboys. He tends to cattle, lives on low wage, and doesn't receive much respect, in truth. He is simply a farm hand. One can imagine that he himself plays up the image of the "traditional cowboy," but the reality is harsh and unromantic. A typical cowboy of the west in the late 19th century probably wasn't far from this.They worked hard and lived on low wages, with long periods of loneliness. Their life was dirty and uncomfortable, with grime and sweat caking up on long rides and impregnating their clothing and skin. Most were average men earning their way through life, living day by day. Being a cowboy was probably the only job they could get, and for many it was probably a last resort. 

This is Clint Eastwood:

The man, that is, is Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood is an actor born in the mid-20th century who played a cowboy in many movies. His image is bold, attractive, sun tanned, tough, and violent, but at the same time compassionate and romantic. This is the image of the cowboy drummed up in the late 19th century during the rapid immigration to the West. This image of cowboys symbolized everything that individuals fantasized about the West. They were seen as free, independent, and in touch with nature. This is vastly different from the true cowboy of the west. This distorted image came

Another aspect of the west that was distorted in the public's mind in the 19th century is the image of it being an uninhabited frontier. While it was not as populous as the East, there was a huge Indian population and Spanish, European, and Chinese settlers already making complex communities before the rapid migration of Americans to the West.